Will an Injection Help Your Back Pain?

Written by Matthew Hoffman, MD
Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD on February 12, 2026

Up to 85% of Americans experience some form of back pain during their lifetime, and almost half live with back pain that keeps coming back.

There are several treatment options for back pain that range from exercise and over-the-counter medications to physical therapy and surgery. Injections (shots) can also work well to ease back pain and inflammation.

In general, back pain injections "are not considered a first-line treatment," says Dickran V. Altounian, DO, MS, a pain management specialist at DISC Sports & Spine Center in Los Angeles. Usually, doctors start considering injections only after other treatments, such as lifestyle modifications, oral medications, and physical therapy, have failed to ease symptoms, says Altounian.

Injections for back pain deliver anti-inflammatory medications directly to the affected area, offering relief. Among those who received back pain injections, 24% reported a decline in pain, and 15% reported reduced disability that lasted for up to three months.

There are multiple kinds of injections used to treat back pain:

  • Epidural steroid injections: These deliver anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space around the spinal cord and nerve roots. Epidural steroid injections are used for radiculopathy, herniated disks, and spinal stenosis.
  • Facet joint injections: These target the small joints between vertebrae and are used for arthritis-related back or neck pain that worsens with twisting or bending backward.
  • Sacroiliac (SI) joint injections: The joint where the spine meets the pelvis is the target of SI joint injections, which are an option for lower back pain that spreads to the buttocks or legs.
  • Selective nerve root blocks: Injecting medication around a specific nerve root makes it possible to pinpoint nerve pain. It can also help diagnose which nerve is causing problems.
  • Trigger point injections: These injections are used for muscle-related back pain and myofascial pain syndrome, as they can target knotted muscle areas.

To decide which type of injection could work best to ease your back pain, Altounian notes that your doctor will do a full checkup. It includes medical history, musculoskeletal exam, X-rays, imaging studies, and other diagnostic tests. They will also explain the risks and benefits of each type of back pain injection so you can decide if it's right for you.

There is a key difference between injections used to diagnose back pain and those used to treat it: Therapeutic injections aim to ease inflammation and pain, while diagnostic procedures help spot the exact source before deciding on further treatment.

Diagnostic injections can help "pinpoint the primary pain generator," Altounian says, and where surgery is needed, a diagnostic injection can also help with surgical planning. 

Injections are used for two diagnostic procedures: 

Diskography. It involves injecting contrast dye into one or more spinal disks while monitoring your pain response. Helps identify which disk is damaged and causing pain. It is often done before surgery is considered. (Note: This is controversial and used much less frequently than in the past.)

Medial branch blocks. In this, an anaesthetic is injected near the medial branch nerves that supply the facet joints. If pain improves, it confirms the facet joints as the source and helps decide if radiofrequency ablation might help.

In a nerve block, a doctor injects the area around the nerve with a numbing medicine or anaesthetic. Lidocaine is the anaesthetic most commonly used.

After a nerve block injection, you'll quickly have numbness with near-complete pain relief. It wears off after several hours.

Epidural means "around the spinal cord." These shots include a steroid medicine, also called a corticosteroid, as well as an anesthetic medicine. It's not clear how well they work. Their effects seem to only last a short time and offer modest pain relief. So these might not be something you'd get for long-term back pain. And if your back pain started suddenly, there are other treatments your doctor would probably consider first.

Injections for back pain can cause side effects. The most common ones include:

Side effects usually last one to three days and resolve on their own, but back pain injections may cause more serious side effects.

"Paralysis and possible death are also reported in the literature, although these complications are very unlikely," Altounian says.

Injections might not be the first thing your doctor suggests to treat back pain but when other treatments fail, back pain injections might be a good option to help you feel better. 

Before trying injections for back pain, it's important to talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits. A thorough medical exam to check whether you are a good candidate for back pain injections — and which type of injection might work best — is also essential.

You should discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.

Are back pain injections worth it?

Injections can work well to treat pain, improve quality of life, and reduce or delay more invasive treatments, including surgeries. They can be worth it for those with conditions such as degenerative disk disease, sciatica, and lumbar spine stenosis. 

How long do epidural injections last for back pain?

Injections for back pain usually last three to six months, and it's recommended to repeat the injections up to six times per year for longer-lasting relief.

How painful is an epidural injection for back pain?

Back pain injections can cause mild discomfort, but you should not feel severe pain. A local anesthetic is injected into the skin to numb the area before the shot is given to lessen discomfort.

What are the side effects of steroid injections?

There are some side effects of steroid injections for back pain, including injection site pain, flushing, insomnia, increased blood sugar, and headache, but the symptoms are usually mild and go away within one to three days.

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